Poison brew deaths shock media

Some believe poverty is the root cause of the poisonings

Kenya's newspapers are in angry mood over the fate of dozens of villagers who died from poisoning after drinking illegally produced alcohol.

The incident which led to the deaths took place on Friday night, when people from several villages in the Machakos district southeast of Nairobi consumed an alcoholic drink laced with a substance believed to have been methanol.

For the Nation, what happened is "a sad commentary on the levels of deprivation facing our people".

Kenyans, the paper says, "have been forced towards total vulnerability to the machinations of heartless profiteers".

'Awe and shock'

The lesson, it adds, is clear: "The various arms of the government must now, more than ever before, work together to end such occurrences."

"This tragedy," observes The Standard, "has caused awe and shock to a disbelieving nation."

But the paper suggests Kenyans shouldn't be so surprised - after all, similar cases have occurred previously.

The provincial administration and the police are squarely to blame People Daily

The problem, it says, is that Kenyans are incapable of drawing conclusions from the past.

"After all the statistics have been counted, the country will get back to a self-induced amnesia when something similar happens again," the paper warns.

The People Daily, meanwhile, identifies its own culprit. "The provincial administration and the police are squarely to blame."

"They have failed to arrest and charge individuals involved in the brewing and distribution of illegal liquors."

'Major tragedy'

Kenya's television channels and radio stations have covered the story in extensive detail, broadcasting updates at the top of most news bulletins.

The NTV channel was one of the first sources to report the effects of the poisonous brew on Saturday. The death toll at that stage was already well into double figures.

I don't think the hospital is in a position to really manage all these cases TV reporter

A reporter in Machakos spoke of the local hospital's efforts to call in all its doctors and nurses to cope with what she called "a major tragedy".

She described nurses being forced to hold drips for some patients because suitable equipment was lacking.

"I don't think the hospital is in a position to really manage all these cases," she warned.

Since then, broadcasts have kept Kenyans informed of the rising death toll, the hunt for suspects and government promises to crack down on the problem of illegal brewing.

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